


Adoria in Kirkwall

by Loves_to_read



Series: Adoria's Escapades Through Thedas [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: But not as much as the original game, Canon Divergence, Clinics, Death, F/M, Fluff, I'm Sorry, Justice being...well Justice, Kind of edited...but not really, Love, Mages, Magic Negating, Maybe...I really haven't decided, Misunderstandings, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Modern Music, Music, Not Beta Read, Part two of three, Rated For Violence, Self Confidence Issues, She'll get there...eventually, Smut, So I guess there's some, Still bad at tagging, Sweet, Tags will be changed if needed, Templars, That result in a lot of unhappiness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Varric Tethras is a Good Friend, and maybe smut, can't forget that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-20 19:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30009936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loves_to_read/pseuds/Loves_to_read
Summary: She survived the Blight and helped the Hero of Fereldan.Now, with still no way to get home, Adoria's in Kirkwall and she's intent on helping these people who seemed to be stuck with no way out. She doesn't want trouble, but the heroes rarely ever do.This world has more in store for her than she knows. Or really cares for. The death in Fereldan was enough for her.But, the peaceful existence she thinks she has found in helping the citizens of Kirkwall turns out to be false when she gets wrapped up in Hawke's schemes.* * *Hiya, guys!For those of you who read the first story of this three part series, welcome back! So good to see y'all.For those of you who didnot, I would suggest going back to read the first one because it might be a little bit confusing starting here. But, if you're cool with that, then I'm cool with it.(here's a link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641453/chapters/70206360)But, for whichever group you belong to, I hope you all enjoy!* * *Now onto the official stuff.I do not, nor claim to, own anything except for my character Adoria. All credit goes to the creators of the game.
Relationships: Fenris (Dragon Age)/Original Female Character(s), Fenris/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Adoria's Escapades Through Thedas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2098938
Comments: 22
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> !!!PLEASE READ!!!
> 
> So...if you read all the tags, then this question will make some sense.
> 
> I've never written smut or anything beyond a steamy kissing scene. So...my question is, do y'all want some smutty scenes?
> 
> They would be marked for those who wished to skip them because those types of things aren't for everyone, but I would like y'all's opinion on this, cause I can't make up my mind. I might just end up flipping a coin.
> 
> On a side note, I'm not entirely sure how tall Fenris is, but...I guess that doesn't really matter, does it? I'm also not sure of his age, but I'm pretty sure I made him younger than in the game, but still older than Adoria. I forgot by how much though...hmm. I'll remember later, I guess.

I had never in my life been happier to see solid land.

Even if the massive, metal statues that looked like slaves covering their eyes bothered me a little.

The chains that connected to them were even worse.

Still, we had made good time. We managed to cut off a few days from our journey, thanks to smooth waters and stiff winds.

At least, that was what I heard one of the sailor’s saying. I spent most of my time with my head in a bucket so I couldn’t tell if we had smooth sailing or not. It certainly didn’t feel like it.

I stumbled down the gangplank, feet and ground wobbling from being at sea for so long.

“ _Ungh…,_ ” I groaned, breathing deeply as I bent over my knees. “Never again.”

I carried my bags with me and walked away from the docks and the smell of saltwater and fish. I hid my surprise well when I saw a handful of Qunari soldiers hanging out in front of a blocked-off section of the docks. Unlike Sten, these Qunari had horns and bright red tattoos that stood out against their gray skin.

I put my head down and kept walking. I didn’t have a problem with Sten, but those people were not Sten and he had warned me to be careful if I ever came across other Qunari.

After asking the nearest guard for directions to a nice inn, he pointed me to Hightown and simply told me to keep going up to get there.

I thanked him and walked away pretending to know what he was talking about.

* * *

I was sweating by the time I made it to the inn in Hightown.

“So...many,” I panted as I threw my bags in my room, “stairs. Lord, help me.”

I was barely able to get out that I needed a room for a while when speaking to the innkeeper. I was pretty sure he thought I didn’t speak Common with how he was looking at me as I drug my stuff through the main room.

The room was nice enough. The bed didn’t look to have any lice or bed bugs and the dark green spread looked freshly cleaned. There was even a bathtub and privy hidden behind a wooden divider screen. And, I had more than one pillow, which was always nice.

It was well lit, much like the main room, and smelled like lavender with an undertone of wood.

It was overall pleasant.

I spared a few moments to get unpacked and catch my breath before heading out into the city. I wanted to buy a map and get acquainted with nooks and crannies, as well as the people. It would be a smart thing to try and invest some of my money that I made with Elissa to keep a steady income.

I made a mental note to find someone to ask about that.

* * *

Hightown -well, Kirkwall in general- was nothing like Fereldan.

The streets were solid stone with an almost marble looking texture. The walls of houses built right against one another stretched up into the sky, blocking many of what I would call courtyards from receiving light until well in the afternoon. But it was the closest I had seen to something resembling a city like back home, so it was comforting in a way.

The market was busy enough, though. I ignored the nobles that sneered at me as I purchased a map and went to the next stall to browse their wares.

It was hard to blame them, too. I smelled and looked like I hadn’t bathed in days, which I hadn’t and it killed me.

I made sure to keep my coin purse hidden inside a pocket of my cloak. I had seen someone get robbed right in front of me, so I couldn’t be too careful.

I was busy looking at the map and walking, which was a bad idea to begin with, and ended up bumping shoulders with someone.

I looked up, the apology dying on my lips as I took in the person I bumped into.

He was an elf, but that wasn’t what caught me off guard. No, it was the stark white hair and tan skin lined with blue...tattoos...no. No, that’s not right. They weren’t tattoos...they were something else that had the fog in my mind solidify and trying to push forward on its own.

I winced and stumbled backward several steps as I clutched my head. I couldn’t open my eyes because of the appearance of everyone's auras. I had never done drugs, and I never planned to, but I imagined the wavering of the air would be close to the effects of LSD….maybe. 

It hurt to think.

Dimly, I felt someone rest a hand against my arm to hopefully steady me and not rob me blind. I quietly thanked them and managed to stand on my own two feet after a moment of getting the fog under control. You would think that by now it would be listening to my every command, but nope. It didn’t work like that just yet.

The man who kept me from falling on my tail in the middle of the street let me go after I thanked him. He grinned, teeth flashing behind a neatly trimmed, black beard. “Anytime, my lady.”

I looked at the man again and gave him a soft smile. I expected his eyes to be blue, but they were a beautiful green that reminded me of the forests and rolling hills of England. Or, well, the pictures I had seen of England.

And, Christ, was he tall. Almost as tall as the bearded man now standing beside him.

All the other elves I had met, including Zevran, were only a few inches taller than me, but he was at least six foot. And carried around a sword that looked as tall as I was.

The dark armor with spiked gauntlets didn’t help make him less intimidating, either. And...he was glaring.

“I am so sorry. I get headaches that come and go often.” I scratched the back of my head awkwardly before deciding to blurt out my apology. I tried to ignore the heat rising to my face. “I know I offended you, and I apologize. That was never my intention. I like to think of myself as honest, so I’ll tell you straight. You caught me off guard. And…right. You’re glaring again, so I’ll just go.”

As I scurried away towards Lowtown, I called over my shoulder, “I’m sorry again!”

* * *

**_Fenris’ P.O.V._ **

He was looking over a weapon one of the merchants had displayed on their table, waiting on Garrett Hawke to finish speaking with the Death Pit owner. He did not dare touch the sword, though. Unless he wanted to be accused of stealing or something else just as outlandish.

After Hawke was done, Fenris left the table and started to make his way back over to the group. He ignored the conversation the younger Hawke sibling, Bethany, was having with her fellow mage, Anders. It was something about magic theory.

When someone bumped against his shoulder his hand went to the hilt of his greatsword on instinct. At least, until he looked down.

A young woman with long brown hair that shone in the sunlight was looking up at him, mouth agape and light brown eyes wide. A bow peaked from over her shoulders and he noticed two daggers strapped to her legs.

He didn’t know who she was, but she was armed and that made him more cautious than normal.

Her eyes glided over his hair and his ears -unlike half of the people he came across- and instead landed on the markings etched into his skin.

Fenris was going to say something when she stumbled backwards, one hand clutching at her head while the other fell limp at her side.

Hawke came up behind her and helped to steady the small woman before she ended up on the ground and caused a scene. That was the last thing any of them needed.

She kept her eyes closed as she leaned backwards, into Hawke’s hand, before pulling away with a quiet “thank you” and a small smile in his direction.

And because Hawke was who he was, he flashed the woman an overly friendly grin and stated, “Anytime, my lady.”

Fenris almost rolled his eyes. He had not been helping the man but for almost a week now, and it was clear that he was _very_ friendly with people he thought were attractive, be them a man or woman.

Fenris glared when the woman turned that soft smile towards him. But, he was not prepared for the words she spoke or the strange way she said them.

“I am so sorry. I get headaches that come and go often.” She reached up and scratched the back of her neck, but he made sure to keep an eye on what her other hand was doing as well. It would not serve to be stabbed in broad daylight because he was not vigilant.

The woman continued, even as her face heated, “I know I offended you, and I apologize. That was never my intention. I like to think of myself as honest, so I’ll tell you straight. You caught me off guard. And…right. You’re glaring again, so I’ll just go.”

They watched her run off towards Lowtown, yelling out one more apology before she disappeared down the stairs leading lower into the city.

“What is wrong with you?” Anders exclaimed, hands thrown in the air. “That was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen and she was _talking_ to _you_! And not running away!”

Fenris simply glared at the mage.

It was true the woman was pretty, but she also unnerved him. There was something about her that was...quiet.

He was silent the rest of the day, lost in his own thoughts, as he followed Hawke around to report back into several people who had given them jobs to do.

That woman never quite left his mind, even as he made himself as comfortable as possible in his former master’s house. Even with the tonic Anders was polite enough to give him, the markings still ached and felt raw to the touch.

He would be visited by worse than normal night terrors, it would seem.

It was a good thing Hawke did not need him tomorrow. It would give him time for his markings to calm down and for him to try to make more progress on finding Danarius.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anders is a flirt, I do believe.

The further I went down in the city, the more dilapidated the builds became.

I had passed through Lowtown briefly, but I hadn’t stopped to take in the scenery. I was too busy dying from a lack of airflow. Going down all of those cursed steps was so much easier than going up. The lack of bags helped, too.

The streets were made of the same stone as Hightown’s but they weren’t as clean and there were a few cracks in them here or there. The builds looked to be made of white-washed stone and were much smaller than their Hightown counterparts. The walls still towered high into the air, though, blocking some of the sea that banged against them. Once again, they were dirtier than the walls in Hightown, the tops of the walls had black decay or mold dripping down them.

The edges of the streets closest to the sea below were lined with wooden spikes that looked to serve as a makeshift fence. Although, I doubted they did anything other than look threatening.

I made a mental map as I took random twists and turns, making sure to keep track of objects that could serve as landmarks in case I got lost.

With my tour of Lowtown done, I headed over to the Alienage.

It was much different than the one back in Denerim. There was still the gate and the massive tree in the middle. It was called a Vhenadahl and the base of this one was painted in bright red swirls. I’m sure it was symbolic and I couldn’t help but find the beauty in the artwork.

I smiled as I looked up at the sky through the massive leaf-laden branches.

“You should leave if you aren’t buying,” someone groused.

I looked over at the elven man who spoke, the smile still on my lips.

“I’m sorry.” I walked over to his stall and looked over his wares. “I was admiring the Vhenadahl.”

He looked shocked by my knowing the name of the tree.

“I was in Ferelden not too long ago. Actually helped the Denerim Alienage rebuild for the few weeks I had left in the city.” I picked up a soft shirt lying out on the table. It was a lovely maroon color that felt like cotton, only less itchy. “How much for this?”

I raised an eyebrow when he gave me a price and looked over the shirt once more. The hems were embroidered with silver leaves and had two slits up the sides, resembling a tunic more than a shirt. “I don’t want to question your mercantile skills, but you are aware that this is worth almost three times that amount?”

The man crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “Most will not pay that price.”

I scoffed and picked up a green shirt stitched with golden thread. “Yeah, well, most people are assholes. Here you go.”

He tried to refuse the correct amount I gave him for both shirts and we ended up dissolving into an argument for several minutes.

“This is too much,” he stated, trying to shove the coin back into my hands.

I shook my head and refused to accept it back. “I can’t believe I’m arguing with you about this. That is what they are worth and that is what I will pay. Unless, you wish to refuse me service, in which case I will walk away.”

“What’s going on?” a soft voice asked, stepping up to the table.

I glanced over at the young woman and was surprised to see that she had vallaslin. Since she was in the Alienage, I assumed she left her clan, but that was beside the point right now because she was glaring at me.

With a sigh, I held up the two shirts. “I wish to buy these for the _correct_ price, but he will not accept it.”

The man slammed the coins down on the table. “Because it is too much.”

The woman glanced between the two of us before she realized what was happening. She smiled and told the man, “That extra coin would go a long way to helping your sister and her children.”

The man fell silent at that and with a sigh to rival my own, accepted the coin and wished me a good day.

“I am sorry. I just don’t want to see someone get cheated out of their money. And thank you….” I looked at the woman, not sure if I should call her miss or ask for her name.

“Merrill,” she offered, short black hair dancing as her head tipped to the side. “And you are?”

I offered up my hand for a handshake which she accepted. “My name’s Adoria. It was nice meeting you Merrill, but I’ve got to go.”

“Farewell.”

I waved over my shoulder as I folded the shirts over my arm and left the Alienage. I ignored the looks of the other elves who watched as I walked by, distrust shining in their eyes. I made sure to give friendly smiles to those who made eye contact with me. It would be smart to show that I meant them no harm and that I wasn’t like the other humans who may visit the Alienage.

I had already seen most of the Docks and I was going to avoid the Gallows- a massive tower on an island further out in the sea. It was once the place where they kept slaves when the city was controlled by Tevinter. By now it was the Circle Tower.

I would see the massive spires and spiked walls from here and I wanted no part of that. The entire place screamed despair and death and I wasn’t even on the island.

So, that left Darktown, which was under the city.

* * *

It was miserable and dark.

There were no buildings, only alcoves that served for privacy to use the bathroom in. And it smelled like it, too. The ground was nothing but dirt and mud with a few wooden boards used for places to sleep.

There were collapsed mine shafts and rubble blocking many sections of the district.

And it was crowded.

People were huddled around fires, trying to find warmth from the ocean breeze that blew through the openings in the furthest...wall, I guess you could call it.

It did provide fresh air but also brought in the cold water from the Waking Sea, causing the floors and walls to be slick and damp.

I continued walking further into the district, ignoring the looks I was receiving. I noticed a couple of people following me and casually let my hand rest near my daggers.

I was tense when I came to the only thing that could pass as a building down here and noticed a lantern lit by the door. People loitered around the entrance, waiting for something.

I knocked on the door politely and waited. This place seemed important and I wanted to know who lived here. Me being nosey, I suppose.

Imagine my surprise when the door opened and a man with shoulder-length blond hair and dark eyes was standing in the doorway.

I couldn’t help but jump back in surprise at how fast the door opened. And then I realized I had seen him before.

“Oh! Hey. Nice to see you again.” I smiled and gave him a polite wave.

He looked at me for a moment before smiling broadly. “You as well. What brings you to my clinic?”

“I’m just touring the city districts. I just arrived and wanted to get to know the city.” I pointed over my shoulder. “Those two keep following me though and it’s making me nervous.”

He looked over my shoulder at where I was pointing before laughing. “That would be my fault. They only mean to keep away...unwanted visitors.”

I tipped my head to the side and studied him. At my wish, the fog solidified and I took in the man’s aura before willing it away again.

“Templars are pesky. More so here, I’ve been told.”

His friendly look died in the blink of an eye and was replaced by one of mistrust. I frowned and shook my head, taking a single step back. “Calm down there, sparky. I meant no harm in what I said.”

His eyes started to lighten before they glowed a bright blue.

I could feel magic prickling the air so I called on my shield again and wrapped it around his aura which was flaring and spitting violently. In an instant, the glowing disappeared and he was left looking confused.

Before I had left, Wynne was kind enough to let me practice on her and I had managed to block her connection to the Fade without causing her pain. During my time spent at sea, I had practiced on the crew members, closing in on their auras without actually hurting them. I felt bad about doing that without them knowing though, so I stopped soon after.

“Look,” I stated, trying to keep my tone somewhat friendly, “I don’t know what the hell that was, but I’m no friend of the Templars. And you wouldn’t be the first apostate I’ve met. So chill out, yeah?”

It was true, too. One of the warnings my family in Ferelden left me with was to be careful around both Mages and Templars. They told me the mages might try to kill me while the Templars could try to use me. Either option wasn’t something I was interested in.

I drew the shield back and the man stood there for a few moments, considering my words before asking me if I wanted to step into the clinic for a moment.

“No, thank you. I think we got off on the wrong foot, but my name is Adoria and it’s nice to meet you. I have some advanced medical knowledge if you ever need any help here.”

“Anders.” He smiled again, friendly demeanor returning. “Are you sure? I remember you saying something about having headaches and I might have something for that if you needed it.”

I shook my head. “Thank you, but I don’t think it would work. Stuff like health potions don’t have that great of an effect on me. Besides, there are others who will probably need it more.”

I wished him a good day and headed back up to the inn.

* * *

On my way back to the inn, I grabbed some parchment and charcoal from a merchant.

Once back at the inn, I spent the entire night and most of the next day planning and scheming.

After seeing the state the city was in with most of the worse off residences being elves and refugees from Fereldan, I wanted to do something to help them.

And the best way I knew how was through my medical and other knowledge.

I wanted to mainly focus on Darktown and the Alienage and hopefully find a property to open up something close to a hospital. I had seen how busy the inside of Anders clinic was and there was no way he was able to keep up with all of those people, magic or no. He was thin and looked to be just on the side of malnourished so I knew it wasn’t healthy for him.

Aside from that, I would be able to operate out in the open where he needed to work in the shadows lest the Templars find him.

So, after making a list of things I wanted to tackle in the city, I asked around the merchants of Hightown and some in Lowtown of who would be a good person to ask about investing money.

They all pointed me to the Hanged Man and a man by the name of Varric Tethras.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * _laughs evily_ *
> 
> I enjoyed writing this more than I should have.

The sun had set below the horizon a few hours earlier and while most people were already in bed, the Hanged Man was bustling with patrons.

I stared at what would be the sign for the tavern. It was a massive knight that was twice as tall as I was that hung over the door from a post built into the building. It was hanging upside down with its hands tied behind its back.

At least I didn’t have to worry about going to the wrong place.

It had been a week since I had arrived in the city and I spent my time planning out a hospital styled clinic and a few other ideas to help the people.

I may not introduce any technology into this world, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t help the people survive with what they already had on hand.

After getting through the door and past the crowd of drunks trying to hit on everybody, I made it up to the counter where I asked the bartender if he knew where Varric Tethras was.

“Well,” a voice cooed, the sound prickling a memory at the back of my mind. “Decided to take me up on my offer?”

I turned around and my eyes widened before I laughed. “It’s good to see you Isabela and I’m afraid that would still be a no.”

The dark skin woman pouted playfully. “I can wait, sweet thing.”

I laughed again before saying goodbye and heading towards the back of the tavern. I went up a set of stairs -no surprise there- and knocked on the door directly across the hall.

“Come in,” someone called out.

I cracked open the door before entering the room fully. Sitting at a long table were two familiar faces and one I had never seen before. It looked like they were playing Wicked Grace and the dwarf at the furthest end of the table seemed to be winning.

The man from the Hightown market grinned when he saw me and drawled, “Did you come here to see me?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, the action catching the man’s eye, which I did not want to happen or feel comfortable with. But, I wouldn’t show that. Instead, I cocked my hip to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Unless your name is Varric Tethras, then no.”

The dark-haired woman sitting across from the man laughed softly before getting up and offering up her hand. “I’m Bethany. Don’t mind Garrett.”

I shook her hand. “Adoria. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You came to the right place. Varric Tethras, at your service.” The dwarf did a little hand flourish and leaned back in his seat casually.

I took in the dark blond hair and the surprising lack of a beard before my gaze turned to the crossbow almost the length of my arm. And then there was the chest hair. Probably his most defining feature.

“It is always a boost to my ego when people admire Bianca, but what can I help you with?”

“Sorry,” I laughed softly. “I needed to talk to you about a business proposal.”

He gestured for me to take a seat. “I’ll deal you in and we can talk over a game of Wicked Grace. Do you know how to play?”

I sat down beside Bethany and nodded my head. I did in fact know how to play. Leliana and Zevran taught me one night at camp and after I got the hang of the rules, they never played with me again. They said I took too much of their money, but I was sure they were going easy on me.

* * *

Or...maybe they weren’t.

I smiled as I pocketed the money I had won from the other three at the table.

“Huh. I’m sure you cheated but I can’t prove it,” Varric stated, arms crossed.

I laughed and shook my head. It was pure luck rather than any real skill that I won with.

“Well,” Garrett sighed. “My coin purse is lighter than it was earlier today so I believe it is time to get home. It was nice meeting you Adoria. Varric, are you still going with us tomorrow?”

Bethany stood beside Garrett after wishing Varric and me a goodnight while Varric confirmed his plans with his friend.

After they left, Varric asked, “Could you explain this idea to me again?”

“Of course,” I agreed. “I would put up a certain amount of money depending on how much the business is worth. It could be business struggling or just starting out, but in the end, they would have to cut me in on a portion of their future profits.”

“And where do I come in?” He sipped at his drink.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much business sense so I would need someone to manage the income to be sure no one is getting cheated or that the business is going under. In exchange, we would split our portion of the profits evenly. I’m told you have experience in stuff like this, so I thought I would ask before I jumped off the deep end.”

Varric was silent for a minute, thinking on my words. “Very well. I will send word when I have some interested parties lined up.”

“Thank you.” I smiled and stood from the chair. “Oh. And a few other things.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know if there are any large buildings or properties for rent or sale? Preferably close to Lowtown or the Docks. And who would I need to talk to about remodeling certain parts of the city?”

“I will look into that, too. And why do you want to remodel the city?” he questioned, brows raising.

“I was walking around the other day and I noticed a lot of things that could be improved or made safer. It was a silly question.” I dismissed the conversation with a wave of my hand.

“You have a few ideas about that, then. Bring them by and I’ll take a look. If they seem to be good we can try to get you an audience with the Viscount.”

I beamed a smile, thanked him, and left after saying goodbye to Isabela.

I hummed under my breath as I walked up the stairs to Hightown, at least until I ran out of air. It was slow going, but I was getting used to all of the vertical walking. In Ferelden the only times I really walked uphill was in the mountains near Haven and Orzammar. It was so different. By the time I was in the upper district, it felt like gravity was fighting me and the air was too thin to breathe.

I decided to take a shortcut, walking through an alley to get back to the inn quicker. I had noticed several people following me shortly after exiting the Hanged Man and it made me nervous.

When I was suddenly slammed against the wall, I briefly thought that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. I had seen shadows moving ahead of me on the walk back, too.

“Why are you following me?” an unfamiliar, low voice growled.

I blinked in surprise, trying to push his arm off of my throat. It was the elven man from the other day and he looked uber mad.

His green eyes blazed with anger and the armor on his arm was digging into my skin.

“Well?” he prompted, pressing harder. “Who do you work for?”

I glared at him, tipping my head back to try to get some airflow. Without blinking or giving any sign of what I was going to do, I brought my knee up, slamming it into his gut. When he released me, I grabbed his forearm, turned my body around, and pulled his arm forward.

When his balance was off, I used my hips and back to flip him over and landed with my hand at his throat and my knee on his chest, pressing into his sternum.

His face was painted in shock. “Look. I wasn’t following you. I was trying to get back to the inn using a short cut because-”

I ducked when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I dully heard the twang of a bowstring and felt the wind whistle as it flew over my head. My breath of relief I released ruffled his hair before I pulled back.

“Because _I_ am being followed.”

I rolled off of him when another arrow flew by, closer to my head this time.

I yanked my daggers out of their sheaths and rushed towards the group of thugs following me. There were only a few, so I could hopefully take them. I zig-zagged as I darted towards them, hoping not to get shot.

The first archer was dead when I jumped on him and slammed my daggers into his chest. My bones rattled when his body fell to the ground. I rolled off of his body when the next archer fired at me. He was dead with one of my throwing knives to his throat.

After I had stopped practicing on the crew’s auras and when I didn’t have my head in a bucket, I spent my time on the ship practicing with the throwing knives. I was thankful to Zevran at that moment for giving me them.

I danced around one of the warriors with a greatsword, so I was behind him, and pushed my daggers upwards, at an angle, into his lungs.

The last man went down when the elf ran him through with his own sword.

I cleaned the sweat from my brow and retrieved my throwing knife. After cleaning it off on the dead man’s shirt I stood to face the elf.

“Thank you.”

He glared at me while yanking the sword from the man’s chest cavity. “You fight well.”

I grinned and walked closer to him. “Thank you, again. I had some good teachers.”

I was going to tell him my name but, once more, I found myself pinned to the wall of a building. Only this time, his hand was wrapped around my throat.

“I will ask you one more time. Who do you work for?”

“I don’t work for anyone, dammit,” I croaked past the grip on my throat. The spiked gauntlets were digging into my skin and I could feel a small amount of blood drip down my neck. I was tempted to knee him in the gut again, but I didn’t think it would work.

He released me after a moment and stepped back. I took in deep lungfuls of air and rubbed at my bruised throat. I would have to cover it up to avoid any questions. Or maybe use the health poultice I had stashed somewhere. It would still take a few days versus a few weeks for the bruises to heal, though.

“I do not believe you.” He pulled his hand back and from his elbow to his fingertips the blue marks light up like a light. With his palm open, he shoved it towards my chest, near my heart.

The fog solidified and I could see his aura was different from the others I had seen. The markings seemed to be emitting their own, causing there to be certain parts that were stronger and reached further outwards than the rest.

The light died from his hand when it landed against my chest. Right against my breast.

More of a reaction than with any real intent to do harm, I pulled my fist back and punched him in the nose. I could feel the bone crunch under my hand as he grunted from the impact.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” I exclaimed in outrage, crossing my arms over my chest as my face burned red. “What is wrong with you?!”

He stumbled backward, hands holding his nose as blood poured from between his fingers, while his eyes were wide in surprise.

“I hope it’s fucking broken!” I yelled over my shoulder as I walked away, “Asshole!”


	4. Chapter 4

I had taken a few days to tour some warehouses in the Lowtown and Docks districts before deciding on one near the Docks. There was an entrance to Darktown near it, too, so hopefully, I would be able to convince some people from the poorest part of the city to visit. 

Everything would be free and it would run on donations and my own money. But there was still the matter of getting the place ready.

Most of the floors would need to be redone. Some walls would have to be put up and knocked down and hopefully, the open end of the warehouse that met the sea could be blocked off or windows put in.

I would have to ask Varric if he knew anyone who could do that. That was what I was headed to ask him right now.

I walked through the main room of the Hanged Man and entered Varric’s room.

There were several people all sitting at the table, laughing and joking with each other. At least, until I walked in and they all fell silent.

And then, multiple people started talking at once.

“It’s you!” That was the elven woman, Merrill.

Hawke grinned. “Welcome back.”

Anders stood and offered his seat to me. “Please, sit.”

And, of course, there was Isabela. “Good to see you again, beautiful.”

I looked around the room, eyes wide before Varric busted out laughing. Bethany soon joined in and before long, I couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“I’ve never had this happen before,” I wheezed, wiping a tear from my eye. I had never seen so many people scramble to say something to me. Although, I do believe Merrill was just speaking out of surprise rather than trying to flirt like the other three. I didn’t take what they said seriously though. It was probably just them being them versus there being any real attraction to me.

“Hello, Adoria,” Varric called out after getting his breathing back under control. “It’s good to see you again. We were just about to start a round, would you like to join?”

I smiled and walked over to sit near Bethany at the end of the table. “I’d be happy to, thank you. But, aren’t you worried about losing your money again?”

He smirked. “I have figured out your tales, so I’m not too worried.”

After the first round, which I won, Varric asked, “You seemed to have met most of our group, but what about the others?”

I shook my head.

“The red-head is Aveline.” I smiled at the intimidating woman. She only nodded her head, frowning at the hand she was dealt.

“And the broody one is Fenris.”

“We’ve met,” I stated, leaning back in my chair. He wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. “I see your nose healed.”

He only nodded his head and slowly, as if it wasn’t sure, a blush rose to his face.

“Oh,” I drawled. “So you do have the common decency to be embarrassed about what happened. Good to know.”

Everyone paused what they were doing and looked between the two of us before Varric asked, “What happened?”

I raised an eyebrow, rearranging my cards. “Do you want to tell them, or should I?”

He glared at me from the corner of his eye.

“Me, then?” I asked rhetorically as we finished the next round of the game. “I was walking home a few days ago, after I had finished talking to you actually, and some people were following me.”

I squinted at my hand before resuming my story, “Well, when I got to Hightown, I wanted to take a shortcut to get back to my inn sooner, but someone stopped me. I got free by throwing him on the ground but the people who were following me attacked.

“After we had dealt with them, he tried to do a hand glowy thing and ended up grabbing my breast. So,” I shrugged because my actions were a normal reaction, “I punched him in the nose and pretty sure I broke it.”

The people around the table looked at me in shock. “What?”

“You mean to tell me,” Hawke pointed a finger at Fenris, “that his hand did not go through your chest? No crushing of hearts or lungs?”

I shook my head. “No. Was that supposed to happen?”

“Yes,” Bethany answered.

“I guess I’m lucky then.” I didn’t say anything about it being my ability that kept me alive. I guess it made sense why they were looking at me like _I_ was crazy. “I feel like I should say sorry for punching you for the misunderstanding, but at the same time you were trying to kill me, so….”

He finally looked me in the eyes. “I apologize for my actions. I had wrongfully assumed that you were working with someone that I wish to see dead.”

“Then I’m sorry for hitting you.” I laughed under my breath as I won the next round. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’m sure you already know this, but I’m Adoria. It’s nice to meet you, Fenris.”

After a few more rounds, Varric spoke up again. “Any news on that clinic you wanted to open up?”

“Yes, actually-”

“You’re opening a clinic?” Anders asked, leaning forward to look at me from around Hawke.

I nodded my head. “I am. I saw all of those people in Darktown and they need more than one person to help them. That reminds me. Varric, I brought those ideas you wanted me to share with you.”

“Great. I’ll look at them when I have the time.”

“Have you been back to the Alienage yet?” Merrill asked next.

I smiled at the excited look in the young woman’s eyes. “I have. I’ve started buying a lot of my things from there. The quality is better.”

“Are you still insisting on paying the right price?” she joked.

“I am. Much to the confusion of the merchants, but they’ll come around eventually. I hope.”

“The clinic?” Varric promoted, dealing out the next hand, grinning after I had lost the round.

“I bought a warehouse down by the Docks, near an entrance to Darktown. All I need to do now is get it remodeled and fit to run. Do any of you know someone who can help with that? I also need employees. I plan on making it a large clinic, to help more people.”

“I must ask this,” Anders frowned, “but are you fit to run a clinic?”

“I have advanced medical knowledge, even without magic, so I would like to think I am.”

“I will look up some people. There are always refugees and elves that need jobs, as long as you don’t have a problem hiring them. What types of people do you need?” Varric looked over everybody as the game came to a close. I once again took the pot.

I flashed him a cocky grin. “Guards. A cook, maybe. And some people who can learn basic medical knowledge like how to clean and wrap wounds. I would teach them all they need, I just need them to be willing to learn.”

“I’ll let you know when I find some people, then.”

“Thank you for letting me play, but I’m going back to the inn now.” I stood and walked over to pass the ideas I had written down to Varric.

Fenris stood from his seat. “I must be going too, so I will walk with you.”

“Let’s go then. It was good seeing you all and nice to meet you, Aveline.”

* * *

We walked in silence the entire way to the upper city district.

I noticed Fenris was holding his arm as if he was in pain.

“Do they bother you?” He looked up at me in confusion. “Your markings.”

“They do.” I still couldn’t get over the way his voice sounded. Low and rich as chocolate. He spoke in measured tones as if he thought of each word carefully before saying them. “You were not lucky.”

I sighed, knowing what he was referring to. And also why he said he would walk with me. “I know.”

“Then what was it?” he questioned.

“I don’t mean any offense, but that is a story that I won’t tell someone I’ve just met. It took the last people I told weeks to feel comfortable around me again.” And then, trying to change the subject, I held out my hand, palm up. “May I see your arm?”

He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. “Why?”

“You said that the markings bothered you. And I may be able to offer a solution if you would let me see them.” I wiggled my fingers and he slowly rested his arm in my palm. “That wasn’t too bad was it?”

He didn’t say anything, but his entire body was tense and he looked ready to bolt. To make his unease brief I worked as quickly as possible. I assumed he wasn’t comfortable with any form of contact.

I dropped his arm while thinking.

The skin around the markings looked to have inflamed skin. I didn’t know how much pain he was in, but it definitely looked like it hurt him.

“I would recommend an oat bath. It should help with the inflamed skin.” He looked at me like I was crazy. “Never heard of that before then, huh?”

He shook his head so I instructed him on how to prepare one and what to do before stating, “Come find me in a few days and I should have a lotion and a potion prepared for the pain. Free of charge. Kind of like a way to say sorry for hitting you.”

He nodded his head and walked away without saying anything else.

When I got back to the room, I spent the rest of the night making an official list of everything that I needed done to the warehouse to turn it into a clinic.

It was going to take weeks to get this done.

* * *

_**Fenris’ P.O.V.**_

At first, he wasn’t going to take Adoria up on her offer for help. He rarely ever accepted it from Bethany or Anders because the healing spells only made the aches and pains worse.

He had decided after one bad day to do what she had said and the next day the pain had diminished more than they had when using other methods. He had gone out the same day and brought the biggest bag of oats he could afford.

A few days later he went in search of her and found her in the Hanged Man talking to Varric. And, true to her word, she had the potion and lotion ready.

“Only take this when the pain is unbearable and only a few drops in some water.” She passed a small vial over. “If you take too much it’ll make you sick. I recommend about three drops and it will make you tired. And the lotion can be used whenever. It should help with any skin issues around the markings.”

Her voice was calm and, much like her, quiet. It was comforting compared to the way the rest of their group was.

He thanked her, tried to pay her -which she refused- and left her to talk to Varric.

That same night, the potion she gave him helped him sleep better than he had in a while and the next morning he was nearly pain-free.


	5. Chapter 5

Smiled as I walked around the clinic.

It had been several weeks since Varric helped me find some people to remodel the warehouse. It could now house a handful of in-house patients, a few other employees and myself, and several guards. There was a storage room and kitchen set up with a homemade water distiller that I insisted on needed. It took forever to find the right tools to build that thing. And that was just the upper level.

The lower level had a waiting room and many separate rooms to place any patients that came in that didn’t need to stay in the clinic for a while. There was also a small laboratory where I could make potions, poultices, and whatever else we may need.

The floors were redone with stone- which cost a pretty penny. And the wall meeting the sea was able to be redone with windows.

“Anybody home?” a voice called from the doorway.

I turned and smiled at Varric as he and Garrett walked into the building. They were armed with and looked like they were headed somewhere.

“Hey, guys. What brings you by?”

“Just came to see how everything looked. Have you decided on who to hire?” Varric asked, smiling up at me.

I nodded my head. “Lauma is definite. I sent out the notices today actually. I just finished setting up everything, too. Oh, that reminds me. Here’s your pay for helping Garrett.”

I passed over the money to the tall man as a thanks for helping move everything into the building.

“Did you ever meet her daughter?”

I grinned at the dwarf. “I did. And I will make sure that little girl is spoiled.”

The two men laughed. The first time I had met Lauma was when she visited the Hanged Man for an interview. The elven woman apologized more times than I could count for bringing her daughter, little Leena, with her. I simply told her that I didn’t mind and by the time the interview was over, I had Leena sitting in my lap, telling her stories and lore that I had picked up in Ferelden.

I wasn’t set on Lauma becoming an employee just because her daughter was a little ray of sunshine. She had said that she was employed by a noble family when she became pregnant with their son’s child. To avoid a scandal, they fired her and kicked her out of the household. She wrote the family’s letters so she knew how to read and write. And that was a skill I was still shocked by most people not having.

“Where are you going now?” Varric held the door open for me to exit.

I smiled and thanked him. “How do you know that I’m going somewhere?”

“You’re armed and have a pack with you.”

“Caught me. I’m heading up Sundermount and the Coast. There are some herbs I’ve heard grow there that I want to get while they’re still in season.”

“I would offer to go with you, but I’m afraid Hawke has need of my services today.”

“Your’s or Bianca’s?” I joked as we walked through the Docks.

It was a peaceful walk with the sea breeze ruffling my hair and the lapping of the ocean waves. The only thing that kept me from believing I was at the beach was the ever-present smell of fish and the sound of sailors yelling. And the surprisingly loud creaking of the ships.

“Hurry up! Move!” a voice yelled from further down the street.

My heart stopped dead in my chest. Without thinking, I spun around, pressing my back against Garrett’s. The man was almost a foot taller than me with broad shoulders. He made the perfect body shield. I whispered, “Don’t move.”

“What’s wrong?” Garrett asked and, thankfully, didn’t move.

I frowned. “Look further down the street. There’s a dwarven man with a braided beard and blond hair. He should be the one ordering the others around. See him?”

“Yes.” Varric was smart enough to look like he was speaking to Garrett. Nodding his head and using hand gestures and everything.

“Let’s say he doesn’t like me.”

“What did you do? He’s not part of the Carta that I know of.”

“Um…,” I laughed and scratched at the back of my neck. “Well….”

“Shh. Tell us later. Here they come.” Garrett started spouting nonsense about the weather and the sailors walking by until the group of dwarves passed us.

I pressed closer to him when Balen paused for a moment. I swear, I could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head. After he walked on, I stepped away and took deep breaths, trying to stave off a panic attack and calm my heart rate.

“I’m sensing a story,” Varric drawled.

“One I will have to tell later if I want to get to the mountain. And Garrett, that was horrible. The weather?”

“I was thinking on my feet,” he defended.

I laughed. “If you say so. But thank you both. I’ll see you later.”

* * *

I hummed to myself as I hung from the edge several feet from the ground.

The herbs I had found were rare and if I could manage to get some seeds, I could set up some planters to grow my own. The only problem was that they were growing on a ledge high off the ground. So, I had to break out some free climbing skills that I did not have and get up there.

Turned out that there wasn’t enough space for me to get up there without trampling the plants. So, that left me hanging with my upper body on the ledge to keep my balance while my legs pushed against the crack in the rock face below so I didn’t fall. I tried to work quickly, scooping up the plants while leaving a few there to regrow. I did manage to get some seeds, too. Hopefully, I could cultivate them.

I used a rope that I had brought with me to lower the bag I put the herbs in to the ground. And then, with a breath to steady myself, I started climbing down the rock face.

If I fell, it wouldn’t kill me. It might just break a leg or sprain something, but I wasn’t going to take that chance and carefully made my way down.

At least until the rock cracked under my foot and gave out, leaving me to fall to the ground below. The rock scraped my forearms and my hands as I scrambled to find a handhold. I was sure I managed to bruise my shin, too, because I felt something crack against it and a dull pain radiated across the spot.

I grunted when I made impact. My foot twisted the wrong way, causing me to fall to the ground with a cry of pain.

“Dang it,” I groaned as I probed my ankle. It didn’t seem broken, but it was swelling rapidly and I needed to get some medicine on it soon. It was going to be a slow walk back. Not to mention the bleed wounds on my arms.

With a groan and a sharp breath of pain, I managed to get to my feet and hobbled along the path down the mountain, back towards the city in the distance.

“Shit!” I peeked around the bend in the road and frowned when I saw some familiar faces.

I should have known there were darkspawn. The stench of death permeated the air as Merrill cast fire spells to burn them to death while Varric was firing Bianca rapidly. Fenris was slashing and hacking at the monsters while Garrett slipped between them, ending them when they weren’t paying attention with a dagger to the back.

I might not have noticed it when I was still with Elissa, but I wondered if we had moved like they had. It was like watching an intricate dance. Fenris would attract the attention of most of the darkspawn, leaving an opening for Garrett to strike at. Whenever they looked like they were going to be overwhelmed, Merrill and Varric would turn their attacks to help their team members before returning their focus to the outside of the battlefield to pick off stranglers.

By the time I had mind up to help them, they had already killed all of the darkspawn.

“That was impressive.” I flashed a grin as I limped into the clearing.

“What are you doing here?” Varric asked as Garrett walked towards a fallen tree.

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by.”

The dwarf raised a brow before frowning as he took in the wounds on my arms and the way I was favoring one leg. “What happened to you?”

I winced as his words seemed to remind me of the pain. “Climbed a rock and fell. I messed up my ankle but it isn’t as bad as it looks.”

“Would you like for me to heal you?” Merrill asked, a spell already dancing on her fingertips.

I shook my head and refused. “Thank you, but I’ll be okay. It wouldn’t work anyway. Besides that, I’m sure you must be drained after that fight.”

The elven woman offered again but I still refused and tried to hobble my way back down the mountain. “It was good seeing you all, but I’ve got to go.”

“Now hold on a moment,” Varric ordered. I looked at him over my shoulder but didn’t turn around. “You said you hurt your ankle. Can you walk?”

I nodded my head, placing the heavy pack on the ground to give my shoulders a break from the weight. “It’ll take me a moment, but I’d get there.”

“You say you are a healer,” Fenris mused as he walked over to us, “but when you know you should not be walking, you do so anyway. How does that work?”

I glared at him without any real heat behind it. “I am going to have to get down the mountain somehow. I’m not about to ask Varric for a piggyback ride.”

The dwarf laughed and rested Bianca against his shoulder. “I don’t think that would end well. But one of them could carry you.”

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. Aside from that, Fenris doesn’t like touching other people and I’m sure Garrett is exhausted from fighting. And, no offense, but I would probably break Merrill’s back. I think I weigh twice as much as she does.”

“I am stronger than I look,” she smiled.

“Still, I think I would break you. You’re nothing but skin and bones. Speaking of, are you eating properly? You and Anders make me worry when you two skip meals.”

She didn’t have time to answer when Garrett walked away from the tree, shoving several pieces of the wood into his pack. He turned around with his back facing me, bending down. “Come on.”

“But...I can walk.”

“Not well. Get on,” he ordered.

I grumbled but complied with a quiet thank you. I wouldn’t admit to it, but my ankle was hurting worse by the second and the relief of being able to take my weight off of it made me sigh softly.

“See? Now doesn’t that feel better?” Garrett joked.

I rolled my eyes at the back of his head and rested my hands on his shoulders while he supported my weight by holding onto my thighs.

When his thumb accidentally brushed the top part of my thigh my entire leg twitched. He chuckled as we continued down the mountain. “Are you ticklish?”

I flicked him on the back of the head when he did it again. “I’m not, actually. I have a sensitive scar right there. Aches when it’s going to rain and everything.”

“How did you get a scar on your leg? A jealous lover?” he joked.

I shook my head, looking at the back of his head full of thick dark hair as we walked down a steep incline. The ground was too far below me for my liking.

Someone -I think it was Fenris- grabbed my pack and was kind enough to carry it for me.

“I don’t know if you all know this, but I was in Ferelden during the Blight. A darkspawn would have killed me if I hadn’t jumped backward when I did. I got a pretty little souvenir from the encounter.”

“How come you have never shared any of your adventures with me, Survivor? No...that doesn’t work,” Varric grumbled.

“Survivor?” I questioned, glancing back at the others.

“He has nicknames for everyone,” Garrett informed me. “Well, not myself or Aveline. He just calls me Hawke and I think he’s too scared of Aveline to give her a nickname.”

“Ah. Okay. You can call me Asaaranda,” I offered with a smile. “It means-”

“Thunderstorm,” Fenris finished with an indiscernible tone to his voice. “Where did you learn Qunlat?”

“I speak many languages, actually. A friend of mine taught me a few phrases and words. I know enough to understand the language, but I’m not very fluent.” Reading over the books Sten and the Dalish gave me were some things that helped pass the time at sea.

“Did he explain why he called you that?” Merrill questioned.

“How did he put it?” I chewed on my lip while thinking. “He said I was like a gentle rain that washed away the filth of the day to leave a clean start for the next. Until you heard the first clap of thunder from my anger and learned that this gentle rain was actually a thunderstorm.”

“Poetic. Are you sure he wasn’t proposing?”

I grinned at Varric’s comment and shook my head. “I’m positive. We left Fereldan at the same time and Sten went back to his people.”

“It does fit though, I believe. Storm it is then.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Miss Adoria?”

I looked up from the mortar and pestle from where I was grinding up some herbs. They still weren’t fine enough for my liking. I wanted to try making a general anesthesia to help put people under. It would make operating on grave wounds a lot easier when they weren’t conscious. “Yes, Lauma?”

I didn’t know why the blonde-haired elven woman insisted on calling me miss. I had told her on multiple occasions in the month that the clinic has been running to call me Adoria. But, she still persisted.

“We had another patient come in,” she answered in her soft, motherly voice.

“Not to be rude, but where are the others?” All of the other people I had hired had been trained in basic medical knowledge and I even started teaching them how to read and write. It was an important skill to have and could help them get future jobs if they ever decided to quit. They should be able to get him set up in a room at the least.

We had been busy ever since opening, so I made sure they knew when they needed to come and get me versus handling it themselves.

“None of us are sure what to do because he seems fine...and he specifically asked for you.”

I raised an eyebrow and put the mushed herbs down. “Alright. Let’s go.”

When we got to the waiting room -which had been decorated with several seats and tables- I was shocked to find Garrett standing there. “Is something wrong?”

He was pacing back and forth and looked up when we came in. The worried look on his face made me nervous. “It’s Fenris.”

“Walk and talk,” I stated simply, waving to him to follow as I went back into the laboratory. “He was fine the last time we gathered for our weekly game, so what happened in those few days?”

It was the first time that I had seen Garrett this restless. He was picking at the fabric of his clothes and wringing his hands. “We were getting some drinks, just talking and joking, then he...just collapsed. He’s at the Hanged Man right now.”

“Anders is normally with you all when you drink,” I pondered as I started packing a bag with sanitized bandages, potions, and several other things. “Has he not tried to heal him?”

“It was only making it worse so he stopped. I didn’t know who else to get.”

“Let’s go. Lauma,” I turned to the woman who waited by the door for us, “you’re in charge. Just make sure the patients have what they need. They’ve already had their evening meal so they should be good for the most part. If I’m not back in a few hours, just lock up and I’ll be back in the morning, alright?”

“Yes, Miss Adoria.”

“Thank you. Tell me what his symptoms are.”

“Um...uh,” Garrett scrambled for words as we walked at a brisk pace towards Lowtown. “I don’t know. How are you so calm?”

I smiled as we practically ran up a set of stairs. “I guess you can say that it was trained into me. The line of work I do requires you to not react. If someone comes in bleeding and the person who has to help them is horrified, how would that feel? It wouldn’t be very comforting to the person who was injured, would it? Part of the job is making sure they can get back on their feet, the other part -the _harder_ part in some ways- is making sure they are as happy and comfortable as they can be while under your care. Stress is never good.”

“If you say so.”

After he opened the door to the Hanged Man to let me in, he led me to Varric’s room.

Anders was biting at his nail looking frantic, while Varric sat at the table worried.

“Where is he?”

“On the bed,” Varric pointed to the far side of the room where the bed was separated from the majority of the room by a wall.

I walked over to the bed, speaking to Anders as I did so, “Any symptoms?”

Fenris was lying beneath the blankets. His white hair was stuck to his forehead as sweat ran down his face. His normally bright bright green eyes were closed and it looked like he was struggling to breathe.

“Fever. And he says he’s in pain. I tried using some healing magic but it’s not working. It seems to be making it worse.”

“The markings are made of lyrium which helps conduct magic, so it probably won’t help. You did what you could though, I’m sure he appreciates it but I can’t speak for him.”

After he had told me what had happened when visiting for more of the potion to help with the pain and sleep. I had gone into a fit of rage, cursing his former master for being so low as to own slaves and for doing something so cruel. I had ended up drawing the attention of Leena who came to ask if I was alright. She even threatened to beat Fenris up if he had done something, which was beyond adorable. He looked so uncomfortable.

That little girl took after her mother with her beautiful looks. Blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She looked more human due to her father, but she still had certain features of an elf, like the still surprisingly good hearing. You would think after having Zevran eavesdrop on enough people one would be used to it.

"Shouldn't that make spells more effective, then?" Anders was standing near the end of the bed, watching what I was doing with curiosity. I was sure I operated much differently than he did.

"In most cases, probably. But this lyrium is in his skin. I think it would do more harm than good for the most part." I was kind of surprised Anders was this worried. He and Fenris rarely got along. But when that did it at the expanse of Isabela or myself.

His pulse was too fast for my liking when I took it. I laid a hand against his forehead and he was in fact running a fever. Which was hard for him to do. He ran hotter than most people. I had only come across a few people like that, two of them being Elissa and Alistair but I think that had something to do with them being Wardens.

“Fenris?” I started examining his skin along the markings. “Are you awake?”

He cracked open an eye before closing it just as quickly. “Yes.”

“Can you answer some questions?” I rummaged through my bag and pulled out some parchment and a fountain pen. I had been so lucky to find one of these things. I didn’t know what I would have to do if I had to carry around a piece of charcoal whenever I made house visits. I had also managed to find something resembling a clipboard, but I only used that at the clinic as it was bulky. When out somewhere, I used a thin piece of metal, which the blacksmith I talked to was so confused when I asked for it.

“What are you feeling right now?”

“Burning...itching….” It worried me how he had to stop to breathe after each word.

“Problems breathing?” A nod of the head.

“You are running a fever. Do you have chills, a headache, or anything like that?”

“Are these questions necessary?”

I turned and narrowed my eyes at Garrett. He looked surprised by my look and turned away sheepishly. “Unlike Anders and Bethany, I can’t wave my hands to figure out what’s wrong with someone. The questions help narrow down the possibilities of what’s wrong. I don’t want to give him medicine and it being something else entirely. A misdiagnosis can make his condition worse. Just ask Anders. I’m sure he’s come across something like that before.”

“It’s true. Although magic is normally what people result to if they have that option.”

“I need you to answer my question, Fenris,” I spoke calmly, as I scribbled down some notes.

“Headache…and chills.”

“Body aches?” Another nod.

“Where? And do they feel like they are skin deep or muscle deep?”

“Both...everywhere.”

I leaned back in the chair as I looked over everything I wrote down. The skin around the markings wasn’t inflamed, but he claimed that they were itching. The fever, chills, headache, and body aches were symptoms of colds and flus. But, at the same time, the fever, body aches, and itching could also be his markings. The breathing problem could be his sinuses draining or from a cough.

“Didn’t it rain a few days ago?” I asked as I moved Fenris into a sitting position.

“Yes. I remember because we got caught out in it,” Garrett answered. "We were up on Sundermount, I believe. It was a miserable walk back."

I hummed to myself and asked Fenris to open his eyes so I could look at them. As expected, they were foggy from the fever and he looked exhausted. And surprised that I was so close to his face. I smiled softly and pulled back. “Who all was with you?”

I rummaged through my bag looking for the potions I had brought with me while Varric was the one to answer this time, “I was me, Hawke, Ravani, and Broody.”

“Drink this. Just a warning but it will be nasty.” I held a vial up to his mouth and encouraged him to drink it. I laughed when he pulled back with a disgusted face after the first sip. “I told you. But, I need you to drink the whole thing.”

He finished it, gagging afterward.

_Men were such babies when they were sick._

I giggled at my own thought.

“You have a cold, I do believe. The markings are just acting up because of it. It could be your fever or immune system kicking into overdrive to destroy the cold, but the lotion I gave you should help.” I raised an eyebrow when he looked away sheepishly. “You don’t have anymore, do you? If you would actually come to a weekly check-up as I asked, then I would have known to make you some more.”

I stood and rummaged through my bag again before pulling out the tin of lotion, or maybe salve would be a better word to use. “I’m going to start calling this a salve. Lotion sounds too...feminine for you. Anyway, you're lucky I’m physic and know how stubborn you are.”

I pulled out another vial, the one to help the pain when his marking do flare up. “I’m sure you’re out of this too so I brought some more. If the pain for the markings gets too bad, take it. And -I know this will kill you- but stay in bed and get as much rest as you can.”

“But-”

I cut off his protest, by placing my hands on my hips and stating, “So help me, Fenris, if you don’t stay your ass in bed I will tie you down so you can’t get up.”

“Kinky,” Garrett joked. “I like it.”

I turned and glared at the immature man. “Be a good boy, sit down and hush.”

Anders and Varric laughed at the man’s expense as he sputtered for a response.

“But,” my tone became softer as I faced Fenris again, “I’m serious Fenris. It will go away on its own, but resting will help you get back on your feet sooner. I wouldn’t suggest being alone either, in the off chance you worsen. Your fever should be lowering soon thanks to the medicine. It’ll make you sleepy, too. But you look like you could use the rest. Drink plenty of water. No alcohol, that’ll just dehydrate you. If you start coughing, try to sit up. That should help.”

“As you say. Thank you, Adoria.” He gave me a rare, timid smile which I returned.

The man was cautious at the best of times and paranoid at the worst. He would tell everyone stories about how he escaped his former master or some other adventure when we would meet up for our game of Wicked Grace. And I was proud to say that I was still winning more money than I was losing, much to the bewilderment of Varric.

Fenris was a good friend to have, that much I knew after talking to him these last couple of months.

“I’m going back to the clinic, but remember what I said, alright?” He nodded his head, dozing off as the medicine kicked in. “Please come get me if he gets worse.”

“Of course, Storm. Do you have a moment to talk?” Varric asked as I walked closer to the table.

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“We were wondering if you would be interested in going into the Deep Roads with us.” Garrett walked up beside me with a friendly smile, clearly trying to get me to say yes.

“I’m sorry. I must have misheard.” I repeated, “You want me to go into the Deep Roads? On Bartrand’s expedition?”

“We need a healer, seeing as how the previous one backed out,” Varric groused.

“And what about you, Anders?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any staff to help at my clinic so I can’t leave it.” He smiled apologetically.

“Who is going then? Obviously you and Garrett, but who else?” I really didn’t want to go into the Deep Roads. Not only had I never been -the closest I’ve gotten being Orzammar- but darkspawn seemed to have a radar system that detected me. I guess I did, too, in a way. That might be helpful, but I wasn’t going to tell them that. They would ask why and after being told would wonder how I was still alive. And this new group of friends would disappear like smoke.

“Bethany and Fenris,” Garrett stated, leaning against the edge of the table, facing me with his arms crossed.

I sighed. “And Bethany would be too tired to heal after fighting, much like Anders and Merrill would be.”

Looking away, I chewed on my lip as I thought about the offer. It was true they needed someone to go with them that could heal the injured because there would definitely be fighting. But, at the same time, the enemies they would most likely encounter would be darkspawn who honed in on me whenever I was near. There would be no way to hide that there’s something wrong with me. They needed a healer though… 

Merrill focused too much on offensive magic and hexes to be of much use in healing. Bethany was mostly elemental magic and basic healing spells. The only mage in the group that actually knew advanced healing magic was Anders and he couldn’t leave his clinic.

“When do we leave?” I groaned.

“In a few weeks.” I decided to ignore the triumphant tone of Varric’s voice.

“Fine. Just let me know where to meet and what day specifically. Anders, could you do me a favor?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Could you check in every now and again on my clinic? I’ll leave Lauma in charge, but I’m worried about how the others will treat her. Could someone ask Aveline if she would, too? I think people would behave better if they saw the Captain there.”

“I have to go to talk to her anyway so I’ll deliver your message.”

“Thanks, Garrett. Oh, could you let her know that I have those ointments for the guards ready, too?” I didn’t pause for his answer and left the room, waving goodbye over my shoulder.

Seemed that I would be taking a few weeks off from work. How did I get roped into this?

_I just can't say no, that was the problem._


End file.
